Got Stormy “Easy As It Gets” in De La Rose

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY – Gary Barber and Southern Equine Stable’s Got Stormy ran “as easy as it gets” while almost breaking the track record under wraps in Saturday’s $100,000 Fasig-Tipton De La Rose Stakes at Saratoga.

Breaking cleanly from post 8 as the 2/1 favorite under Tyler Gaffalione, Got Stormy was able to settle in mid-pack and make her way over to the rail while Divine Miss Grey posted an opening 1/4-mile in :23.75. Desert Isle raced up to take the lead on the backstretch and carried a lengthy advantage into the far turn, but it would prove to be short-lived.

Turning for home, Got Stormy quickly cut into the leader’s gap and soon moved past under her own power. Striding powerfully away from the field, Got Stormy hit the wire in a final time of 1:33.15, just :0.02 off of the track record that Macagone set on Friday.

“She had been working lights out,” Gaffalione said. “I’ve really been looking forward to her getting back to the races and she showed exactly why. She’s a nice filly who has a ton of talent and she seems to get better this year. I tapped her on the shoulder once and she exploded, so I just wrapped back up on her. I had plenty of horse left, but that’s as easy as it gets. To be honest, I don’t know if it’s this filly or if I just had a lot of confidence today, but I knew at any point around the track I was going to win. She was ready for a big race.”

The Mark Casse trainee was 4 lengths much the best over the rest of the field. Capla Temptress came on late to nose out Stella di Camelot for second, while Desert Isle faded to finish fourth ahead of a non-threatening Rock my Love.

After fading off of the far turn, Divine Miss Grey took a bad step near the 1/16 pole and was promptly pulled up and vanned off. The Daily Racing Form’s Dave Grening later reported that the Danny Gargan trainee fractured a left foreleg sesamoid, but that a positive prognosis for recovery would allow her to become a broodmare:

Update on Divine Miss Grey, pulled up in the De La Rose. She has a fractured sesamoid in her left foreleg. The ligaments remain intact. She may or may not have surgery Monday, per trainer @GarganRacing. She is expected to survive to become a broodmare.

— David Grening (@DRFGrening) August 3, 2019

The field had originally drawn 14 runners, but five became trainer scratches: Conquest Hardcandy, Dynatail, Miss Munnings, Pacific Wind, and Zonza. Three others were main track only entries: Alberobello, Dawn the Destroyer, and Free Kitty.

Got Stormy’s win was her second of the year and improved her overall record to 14-6-1-3, including a 10-6-1-2 mark in turf mile events. The 4-year-old daughter of Get Stormy has now earned $485,078 after nailing her fourth career stakes score.

As for her next start, it could come against much tougher competition, as Casse is eyeing a pair of Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” Grade 1 turf mile events that each award the winner with a berth to the TVG Mile: the Fourstardave Handicap here on August 10 and the Woodbine Mile on September 14.

“Gary called and said, ‘What about the Fourstardave?’,” Casse said. “We may go to Woodbine and run her a mile in the Woodbine Mile. She has already run once there and ran really well. I’m hoping she’s our next Tepin.”

Got Stormy returned $6.40 to win, $3.40 to place, and $2.30 to show. Capla Temptress brought back $3.80 to place and $2.50 to show, while Stella di Camelot paid $2.50 to show.